Our treasure of the month: The Great Adjutant

The specimens come to our scientific collections in very different ways: Animals such as spiders, insects or frogs are usually caught by researchers in the field, while mammals tend to be handed in to the museum as dead finds or already prepared. These come from private individuals, other museums or, as in the case of the large bird, from a school in Hamburg.

Not all marabou storks are the same - although all birds of this species are very strikingly large, the colour of their plumage and their distribution area, for example, differ. When the specimen arrived, our experts initially thought that it was an African species of marabou(Leptoptilos crumeniferus). Matthias Preuß was commissioned to restore the specimen: "It happens frequently, as very old objects are often contaminated or damaged," says the Head of Taxidermy at the Museum der Natur Hamburg.

The marabou has completely white under-tail feathers, which were grey on this bird: "I couldn't explain it and I started to do some research. I realised that the wing coverts also didn't match the marabou, but the greater adjutant". Bird expert Dr Nicholas Friedman, Head of the Ornithology Section at the Museum der Natur Hamburg, was also consulted and confirmed Matthias Preuß's assumption that this was a much rarer species than had been assumed: A greater adjutant. An elaborate restoration of the specimen then began. The incorrectly coloured eyes were replaced, missing air sacs in the neck were remodelled and the skin was recoloured.

According to estimates, there are now only around 1,000 great adjutants left in the wild in South Asia. Humans are once again the reason why the species is considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): the destruction of breeding and feeding grounds by draining wetlands, the use of pesticides, hunting and the collection of eggs have led to a rapid decline in the population.

"All credit for this goes to Matthias, who first washed the bird and then noticed the difference between the specimen and what it should look like. This is a very special and rare bird and I hope we can show it to visitors soon," says Friedman, summarising his discovery. The bird, which is around one and a half metres tall, complements the marabou collection at the Museum der Natur Hamburg. This now numbers a total of 17 specimens of Leptoptilos, 14 of which are marabou storks.

This is how the treasure was cleaned: